Claire Young: The Story
by ms.moonblade
Summary: Starting off when Claire is 16, we see life through her eyes as she figures out what her best friend Quil is hiding. Rated M for later chapters
1. Chapter 1

I wish I knew how to describe my life without being too cynical. I suppose I'll start with the basics.

As I'm looking at myself through the large mirror in the dance studio where I spend most of my days, I only see a mess of dark curls upon my head (from myself hastily putting up my hair) and sweat beading my forehead. My lips are thick (which is a fashion statement now I guess). I have light brown eyes with thick black lashes. The only great thing I just now started loving was my curvy body which I definitely didn't inherit from my mother.

Sixteen isn't so bad, I suppose. I have a nice ass and big boobs, bigger than most girl in my grade. I have a lot of friends mostly due to being involved with dance since I was basically born but my very best friends, Kirsten and Corbyn, are in my dance group and in my advanced placement courses at La Push High. Kirsten is mixed with Indian and African. She was born in South Africa and moved to La Push when she was 10. We were instant best friends. She has wavy light brown hair with nice caramel colored skin. Kirsten is the brains of our little trio. If this were Harry Potter, she would be Hermione Granger for sure.

Corbyn is a different story. She's very sassy and bold. She has dark skin and embraces it on the rez. I met her while playing kickball with the boys during recesses one drizzly afternoon in 3rd grade. She kicked a home run for everyone on the plates ever since then we were inseparable.

Kirsten and Corbyn both described me as the rock of the group. Soft hearted, understanding, giving good advice. I'm about 100% sure I got that from my aunt Emily, she's a beautiful soul.

"All right ladies! Practice is over. Please go straight home before this storm hits!"

I don't see why everyone is making a big deal about this storm. It's always raining here.

Corbyn, Kirsten and I grabbed out book bags and jackets and we walked out together like we always do. I couldn't help but search the parking lot for my other best friend Quil. Corbyn and I carpooled with Kirsten to school and practice. She usually takes us home but Quil insisted he comes and gets me tonight. Must be that stupid storm.

There he was, standing next to his car staring straight me, a big goofy grin spreading across his face. I couldn't help but smile back. The girls and I parted our ways and I walked to the passenger side of his little blue truck.

"Hey Claire-Bear! How was school?" He asked as he got in.

My nickname use to bother me when I thought I was grown and mature (I was about 10) but now I just embrace it. I've come to terms that I'll always be everyone's little Claire-Bear.

"It was ok. I have an English essay due in a week and a math packet due in a few days. I don't see the point in asking me how my days are when they are always the same." Ahh, the joy of college courses in high school.

"Just in case something big happens." He looked over at me and winked

"Well then I would have told you. I tell you everything. Or you're right there to witness it." I rolled my eyes.

I've known Quil since I was two, we've been best friends ever since.

We were speeding down the road to my house when the rain started pouring and lightening cracked the sky

"It's going to be a wild storm tonight. Better not sneak out." We both laughed at that. I'm a good kid, hardly ever breaking the rules. I think my mom is pretty thankful for that. My older sister, Jane, wasn't always so great. My mother, however, is worried about her. She left for college a year ago and hardly ever visits or calls us to check in. Jane the rebel.

We pulled up to my rather large 3 bedroom house.

"Thanks Quil." I grabbed my bag and ran for my life to my home. Quil stayed parked until he saw I got inside and sped off.

I kicked off my shoes and grabbed a slice of pizza and wandered to my moms room. As I made my way through the winding halls I heard my mother talking to someone over the phone. Probably better if I just made my way to my bedroom.

I plopped on my bed and finished my pizza. I took out my math packet and began working on the equations until my mind started to drift towards Quil.

Once or twice I've had not so clean thoughts about him. They quickly dispersed as I remembered he had to be at least in his late twenties, no way would he want to be with a sixteen, almost seventeen year old.

If I had to describe him, I would say he's very handsome to say the least. He's tall and very built, muscles always protruding out of his shirt if he's wearing one. He usually does around me, but hardly around his friends. He has short, curly black hair and welcoming dark brown eyes that cloud over when he's angry (thank goodness he never gets mad at me. I would cry in an instant.) He has skin that's hot to the touch and overall, he's a really nice and funny guy. A little over protective sometimes, but he means well. The more I think about it, and I try very hard not to, the more I try and discover his secret. I've tried asking him and Emily but they always say "Maybe when you're older." Emily once even said "When Quil thinks you're ready, he'll tell you."

The sucky part is that everyone knows. Even my mom. I'm the only one who doesn't know because Quil doesn't think I'm ready. He always said him and his friends were the protectors of La Push. I let it go for a while but I know better. No way he can keep this from me for a while.

I've wanted to discuss this with Kirsten and Corbyn but I feel like I would have betrayed Quil in some way. At one point in my life I thought it would be Quil and I's little secret. Of course I was wrong about that.

I haven't pressed the topic in nearly two years and I could see how visibly relieved he was but it's been nearly two years and I'm getting antsy. What the hell could he possibly be hiding from me?


	2. Weird Dreams

_**a/u note: I don't own any of the characters from Twilight. Kirsten and Corbyn are my creation. P.s. Teen Wolf is the best.**_

" _CLAIRE! RUN!" I looked around frantically. What is going on? Why was Kirsten yelling at me to run?_

 _"Claire."_

 _I turned around to see a shockingly beautiful man standing a few feet from me. Something was off about him, I couldn't really pin point what it was._

 _"Claire, come to me." He purred_

 _I stayed, marveling at how beautiful his pale skin was._

 _"CLAIRE!"_

 _Why was Kirsten so scared?_

I jolted awake.

It was a slow day. School was the same as usual. Lunch was a buzz of Corbyn talking about throwing a pg-13 party for my 17th and Kirsten was making plans on how we'll find someone 21 to get alcohol. I tried to keep up, but my dream had me in a daze.

Before I knew it, I was dropped off, inside my house and watching a Teen Wolf rerun. I wasn't paying much attention to anything until I heard a snort.

"Quil!" I jumped "You scared me."

"This show is ridiculous. How can you stand to watch this?"

"I... I wasn't really watching it. But look how bad ass the archer is."

We sat and watched it for a few minutes until one the wolves transformed into it's human form. That's when Quil snorted again.

"What?"

"They aren't really wolves. That's Hollywood romanticizing how _cool_ it is to be cursed. Look! They have their clothes on. No fur. This is ridiculous. Come on, let's do something fun."

Fun. Which meant the beach. I sighed. I donned my dark green jacket anyway and hopped in Quil's truck. The drive was short and filled with him humming along to some song I didn't know.

..

It was windy out today, over cast as usual. Not really rainy.

We walked to our favorite rock right by the ocean and sat. We didn't talk for a few minutes, just stared at how beautiful and clear the water is. So blue and sparkly, it took my breath away sometimes. It makes me wonder what the rest of the world looks like.

"Claire, what's wrong?"

I looked over to Quil, he looked so worried.

"Nothing." It was no use. He could see through me.

"You can tell me anything. You know that, right?" His brow furrowed even more. I couldn't control the laugh that escaped

"Quil! Of course I do. Nothing is wrong.." Maybe this was my chance to ask. Maybe he would think I'm old enough to tell what was up around here "but, you remember my birthday is next week, right?"

My little distraction worked. He laughed "Of course I remembered! What did you have planned? A birthday party at Emily's? Everyone is really excited that our little Claire-Bear is growing up!"

I inwardly groaned "I've _been_ grown up, Quil. Literally everyone has seen that except you. But that's not the point. The point is, I've been very patient waiting on you to spill the big secret. I haven't bugged you about it hoping that one day you'll tell me but instead we end up doing the same thing we do every other day." I looked down at my black chucks.

The silence wore on. I was afraid to look at him. Did I upset him? Should I look? I can feel him staring at me. Is he angry? He can definitely be scary. I don't want to cry in front of him if he's angry. I should've kept my big mouth shut. Ok, if he doesn't say anything in 10 seconds I'll look.

10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5

"Claire... look at me."

I lifted my head ever so slightly and we almost hit heads. My eyes met his dark brown ones and my heart fluttered. It would be embarrassing if he could hear it, I'm pretty sure I would die if he knew the affect he had on me.

We stared at each other for a moment before he broke the silence

"Claire... I know you're grown up. You're so smart and brave and compassionate and we all are so lucky to know you and watch you grow up. The thing is, this secret... It's huge. I know you've heard rumors and that worries me even more than the actual secret. I would rather you know the truth than think all of us were drug pushers - which we're not. What's killing me is that you already know!" He looked away.

I put my knees to my chest and hugged them. "I... don't know."

He let out an exasperated groan

"You do! Think, Claire. If you don't get it before your eighteenth birthday, I'll tell you."

"Why can't you just tell me now! If I already know it, then what's the point to waiting?" I was getting angry and he knew it.

"Because I physically can't tell you anything until then. Unless you guess it. In the meantime, however, it's pretty cold out and you're wearing thin clothes. Let's get you home."

I sighed. There's no way I'll get any sleep tonight.

..

I walked through the familiar oak door to see my mother nuking some leftover lasagna and chatting on the phone. No doubt a business phone call. I hung up my coat and walked to my room.

I've gotten compliments about my personal little space. The walls were white except my accent wall, which was a dark crimson. I had 4 large bookshelves filled with books and movies. I had 2 shelves dedicated to my trophies from dance competitions and ribbons from when I did track. I wandered over to my "picture wall" Corbyn called it. From ceiling to floor it was decorated in pictures that I've taken throughout the years. Photography was a side hobby, I always kept my Nikon close to me whenever I went on little adventures. The photos were mostly of my dance friends. One I especially loved was my girls holding one finger in the air while LeiLani held the trophie up high. Our smiles cut all the way to our ears. We we're so proud of each other and ourselves when we won the World of Dance Championships. That was our biggest goal to date and we did it. I sighed and look a little to the left.

I stared. I could feel my eyes starting to water from lack of closing them. The picture left me speechless. The photo of Quil standing next to a huge fallen down tree and holding my hand while I tried to climb it. I had to have been at least five. I looked up a little to see one of us on my seventh birthday. My eyes had to be tricking me.

He looked the same. Exactly the same. The only difference was that his hair had been a tad longer.

He hasn't aged.


	3. Confusion

I was avoiding Quil and he knew it.

For three weeks my schedule was as follows: School, dance, homework and bed

On the weekends I spent as long as I could at the studio. Kirsten and Corbyn knew something was off by my behavior, they knew I missed Quil and didn't understand why I just couldn't talk to him.

I was depressed and didn't eat as much as I use to. The most I had today on this windy, rainy Friday was a banana and I could feel myself creeping towards passing out as I worked extra hard during my routine. I refused to take a break. All too soon it was time to leave.

Kirsten dropped me off and I trudged to the kitchen in search for a little snack. I had just grabbed a yogurt from the fridge and sat down when my mother shuffled in. Something was off about her.

She sat down across from me, arms folded with a stare that would make any sane person run away. However, I stared back in awe. It was the same, tense atmosphere as I'm use to around her, the only difference was that she wasn't on the phone or skyping with her business.

She was actually giving me the time of day.

She was actually paying attention to me.

I slowly ate my yogurt, waiting for her to say something first. No way was I going to break the silence, I spent the last thirteen years trying to get her to have a decent conversation with me and she's just now noticing I'm still alive.

She cleared her throat

"How's Quil?"

I could feel the heat rise to my cheeks and blind my eyes. She could have asked how my day went, or anything about my life but wants to know about him? Aunt Emily definitely put her up to this.

"I don't know, mother. If you're so concerned about him, he's a phone call away," I snapped. How dare she? Does she even know my best friends names? Does she even know I'm taking college level courses? Does she know how bad I want to strangle her right now?

Her face remained cool and collected. She was expecting that, I realized. Damn it.

"You're making yourself sick and depressed by not talking to him. You look like a zombie going through the motions of everyday life. I can only imagine how Quil might looks, you two are connected-"

"What? How? You'll tell me the secret?"

She wasn't going to crack.

"That's up to him. But you better get your mood in check because he'll be here in about five minutes. You better not make him cry." With that she up and left, walking back upstairs to her room.

I couldn't believe this.

Actually, I could.

I threw my half eaten yogurt in the garbage and walked outside. I have no idea where I was planning on going, I wanted to avoid Quil but I needed to see him. I decided to sit on my porch swing my dad had made so many years ago. It was old and worn and the chains squeaked if you swung to a certain height.

I hated this. I hated being left in the dark. I hated feeling like I was alone. I hated my mom for ignoring me and I hated my father for leaving.

"Claire...?"

I jumped. I hadn't even heard Quil arrive. His truck wasn't in sight and he was half naked, as usual.

I looked at him. Really looked at him. He looked even worse than I did, although I honestly wouldn't even know. I avoided the mirror at all costs but if my physical appearance made my mother actually talk to me, I must be in rough shape.

He was paler than what I was use to and he looked like he could stand to eat a few cows. His hair was unkempt and his cut offs were dirty.

My heart ached for him.

He cautiously walked over and sat by me, his body heat automatically heating my chilled body. I wanted to do nothing more than to hug him, I really, really needed him.

"Claire, I'm sorry for all of this, if I had a choice I would have told you everything as soon as you turned sixteen. I hate lying to you and I need you to understand that if I had it my way, you would be filled in," He ran his fingers through his hair in distress.

I couldn't help my next actions as I climbed into his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck. To my intense surprise he hugged me back. It was a different hug, not the playful bear hug that always left me gasping for air. It was a tender hug, full of compassion. He needed me as much as I needed him.

I couldn't help but sniff him, he always smelt of the forest and it had a calming effect on me. I will NOT cry. Not in front of him, I would save that for bedtime.

I suddenly remembered little things. Things that I've kept to myself and didn't bother asking. I moved head so that I was a few inches away from his, my arms still wrapped around his neck

"Your body heat, the way you look like the rest of the boys, how you never age..." I was babbling, I couldn't wait for his answers so it was pouring out. Who knew how much time we had together tonight before he got sick of me asking all these questions? Would he leave me for good? His facial expressions told me no, that he would stay. He looked sad and older than I've ever seen him.

"Claire, I'll find a way to help you understand. I need you to understand. I don't want you to get scared of me and leave," he was whispering now. I didn't get my answers, just more confused.

He was being dead serious. I couldn't help but feel a little frightened. He wasn't stupid, he knew of all the rumors that went around about him and the rest of the gang. They weren't into drugs, he assured me of that. He only said they were protectors.

I slowly got off his lap. I was determined to go to my room and cry peacefully and when something hot – his hand, no doubt – grabbed my hand and spun me around to face him. He looked eager now, excited.

"The bonfires! Claire, you remember them?"

I nodded, of course I remembered them. It didn't make sense, as usual.

"Do you remember the legends Billy told? Do you remember them clearly?"

"Quil, of course I do. They only give me nightmares every once in awhile..." We both winced.

"Think about them. Think about all of it. Think of me while thinking of it." He sounded so urgent it scared me.

He kissed my forehead and lead me inside. He closed the door for me and I was alone.

I walked to my room, slipping off my shoes, climbed into bed. I took off my pants and sweater while laying down. My head was starting to hurt. I didn't want to remember those silly superstitions. I just wanted my Quil to be open with me as I am with him.

A draft touched my nearly naked body and I shivered. I got under my covers and tried to sleep, not prepared for the nightmare that hit me.


	4. Confrontation

_A/N I don't own Twilight or any of the characters except Kirsten and Corbyn._

I was aware I was dreaming. Ever since talking with Quil I couldn't help but think of the legends. It was interfering with my studies. I haven't seen Quil since that night, or Kirsten for that matter.

Her parents sent out a search party. Mom told me my Uncle Sam and the boys even helped looked for her but they all came up empty.

Corbyn and I were worried to say the least. Being questioned by the police was beginning to infuriate us. All they did was ask the same questions all over again until we both broke down and couldn't talk anymore. The police report that was filed stated that after Kirsten dropped off Corbyn, she went straight home. After dinner, she took her dog out and he ran off. She followed and didn't come back. Neither did Buster.

It was hard to sleep at night, and to my intense relief neither could Corbyn. We stayed up well past one in the morning every night keeping each other busy. While video chatting we often tried focusing on our homework without discussing where our friend could be.

To think that Kirsten was out there all alone and more than likely scared gave me an anxiety attack that caused me to cry so hard I couldn't breathe. With all of this stress on me, all the pitying glances that got sent out ways during school was the last thing we needed. I needed Quil now more than ever and alas, it was his turn to avoid me. I've called exactly 58 times since that night we last spoke and he only left me one voice message Saturday night:

 _"Claire, I'm sorry. I'm really busy with work and helping find Kirsten. I'm sorry about your friend, we all are trying our best to find her. Please, stay out of the woods. Go directly to school and practice and go straight home. No funny business. I'll call you when I can._ "

A week later and no call. How could he be so selfish? To ask me to think of the legends that terrified me and think of him at the same time? To not call me back or at least visit me? All of this made no sense, he was always there for me.

If no call by tomorrow, I was going over to my aunt Emily's place. There was no way he could avoid me there.

….

I awoke to the sound of thunder. I looked out my window and –surprise- it was cloudy. I took a hot shower and dressed for the day. I wore my dark green sweater with black tights and brown combat boots. I put my hair in a ponytail and set off to the kitchen to eat a banana.

I donned my forest green lightweight coat and got in my car. I had to take four deep breaths before I started it and made my way down to the little red house. I repeated what my responses would be if Quil tried to argue with me. No way would I leave that house without my answers.

As soon as I pulled up I was greeted with the smell of baking bread and tension. I walked through the door, not surprised to see Embry and Jake sitting at the table accompanied by Emily. I felt as if I interrupted something important.

"There she is! Where have you been Claire-bear? We've missed you!" Embry's attempt to lighten the mood didn't work as planned. He sounded tired.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to come unannounced. I thought Quil would be here..." I had to stop myself from blabbering on. I could feel my cheeks burning with embarrassment. Why did I think I could pull this off? I was the cowardly lion.

My aunt Emily, bless her soul, saved me.

"You're always welcome here, love. We were just discussing some business. Embry and Jake will gladly get Quil for you."

That was their cue. They got up and made their way to the door while shooting me sympathetic looks. Did something happen to Quil? Did they find something out about Kirsten? I dismissed both of those thoughts right away. The boys would have called me if something happened to either of them.

My aunt mentioned something about laundry that needed folded and left the room. I sat on the living room couch and fiddled with my hands. If everyone seemed stressed, Quil would, too. Why did I bother coming over? I knew this was a bad idea. Maybe if I left right now I wouldn't run into him.

No! I came here for a reason.

"Relax, Claire. You look like you're going to give yourself a stroke."

I jumped at Quil's voice. For someone so huge, he was definitely sneaky. I looked up to his face and saw he was trying to smile, it looked more like a grimace. He looked as awful as I felt. He came and sat next to me, holding my right hand. I welcomed it. I missed him so much, I don't know how I could have been so mad at him. It all seemed pointless.

"Kirsten..." I began. I didn't even know where to start. I could feel the tears welling up and I tried to hold them back. I hated crying in front of him. It made me feel weak. I thought for sure after spending so many hours at night sobbing I would have cried myself out. I was wrong.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"We've been looking. We can find anything."

He had a weird pitch to his voice. The pitch he made when lying. I looked him in the eyes, my sudden sadness replaced with anger.

"Quil Ateara you will tell me the truth about my best friend! No more lies! Where is she?" My voice was rising. I had to keep it down so my aunt wouldn't come and investigate.

He looked at me with sad eyes, I could almost see him trying to come up with a good excuse. There was no point. We knew too much about each other.

"Claire... I don't know what to say or how to say it..." He was looking down now, using the same tone he used when I was younger and gotten hurt. How dare he do this? I ripped my hand out of his grip and stood up, looking down on him. He will not do this to me.

His head snapped up and hurt spread across his face.

"Don't do this shit to me! I needed you and you ignored me," I couldn't stop the tears from spilling over now. Shit. "I needed my best friend and you decided other things were more important. You always do that! I'm sick of it! I understand there are other things more interesting than an almost seventeen year old but if you didn't want to hang out, you could have told me! You're always lying and I'm tired of trying to keep up. Either tell me or leave me alone."

He stared at me with a mix of sadness and regret.

I let the silence wear on for two minutes before I huffed my way out of the stifling house and into my car, the tears and rain water stinging my eyes. I drove home and ran into my room, sobbing into my pillow for what felt like the millionth time this week.


	5. The Truth behind the Legends

_**A/N: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters except Corbyn and Kirsten.**_

My big day was three days ago. I was officially seventeen, although I didn't feel like it. I still felt like a young child. I wasn't up for a big party, so Corbyn just came over. We didn't talk a whole lot. We just ate tacos, barely watched some movies and went straight to bed. The tension between us was too much, but I knew we couldn't go back to our regular joking way until Kirsten was found. The likelihood of that happening is almost zero. The police stopped searching after about two weeks, her parents and her family members (Corbyn and I weren't invited) had held a little funeral.

The news of this hit me so hard, I crumpled right in the kitchen and cried so hard I had blacked out. My mother has been avoiding me more than usual. I would too. I was a walking time bomb. One false thing and I would break down. Graduation was right around the corner, my grades were stellar, making me the valedictorian. I needed to get myself together before my big speech.

Quil has called and stopped by a few times since our fight. I ignored him. I didn't need his excuses or his pitying glances.

My unwelcome dreams of the tribes legends had woken me up sometimes. I couldn't understand why these had been bothering me. It was always of the same pale, beautiful boy. Instead of Kirstens voice yelling at me, it was Quil's. Every now and then, a huge chocolate colored wolf would appear and attack the stranger standing a few feet away from me. That's when I usually woke up, too scared to try and sleep it off.

I was sick of this and needed to leave my house. After school, I got into my car and drove home. I dropped off my backpack and walked out to the little trail near my house. I decided to go off it. Maybe if I went out far enough, I would find Kirsten.

 _Such a silly thought._

I kept walking for what seemed hours. It was starting to get dark out and the rain was dripping down my back. I decided to sit under a recently fallen tree, hoping maybe Quil would magically find me and carry me home.

 _This was a horrible idea, Claire. Good going. Now you're lost and you're probably going to die of hypothermia and-_

A sudden movement caught my eye. I looked up to find the most beautiful boy standing in front of me.

He stared at me intently. Perhaps, waiting for me to say something. I couldn't, there was something so sinister about him. I wanted to scream.

 _I should have listened to Quil._

"Kirsten..." God, why did I have to bring her up again.

"I was looking for my friend, Kirsten. She got lost out here a few weeks ago and nobody can find her..." Recognition reached his eyes.

 _He knows her!_

"Yes, she's here. But you're awfully brave to come wandering out here by yourself. What if something attacked you?" His voice was like drizzled chocolate.

I stood up instantly. _He knows where Kirsten is!_

"Please, take me to her! I need to know she's ok! We all are so worried about her," I couldn't help the babbling. I was both nervous and relieved.

He smiled the most menacing smile I've ever seen, which caused me to take a few steps back.

"You're involved with the wolves. I could use you to my advantage..."

"I- I'm sorry?" What on earth..?

"The worthless pack you are always around. The curly haired bigot always near you. He almost got me when I got your friend."

 _Kirsten! He's talking about Kirsten!_

"Quil... Doesn't know anything about Kirsten's whereabouts..." I hated lying. I was also terrified. And his eyes... Were they red? What does he mean he got her?

"She's unfortunately under the protection of the Cullens at the moment, but I'll get my revenge. If my hearing isn't too far off, it'll be in just a few seconds..." I couldn't help my next movement, which was turning around and running.

I only got a few steps in before a huge chocolate colored wolf came into view and jumped over me, flanked by a big black and silver wolf. I screamed and turned around to see what was happening to the boy.

He was being torn apart. Both of our screams filled the still air, my eyes filling with tears and spilling over. This couldn't actually be happening. Not really. It was another lucid dream. It had to be.

Before I realized it I was laying on the ground, covering my eyes and ears. A sickly sweet scent met my nostrils. It was overpowering, it gave me a headache within seconds.

"Claire?"

 _Why was Quil here?_

"Claire, it's ok now. You don't have to be afraid." I felt his warm hands pick me up.

"She's in shock, you'll need to giver her a few moments and explain everything to her when she's ready to listen."

 _What was my Uncle Sam doing here?_

"Should've told her sooner, dude."

 _Paul?_

"Shut up." _Why was Quil angry?_

It was silent, the only sound that filled the air was the crunch of branches and leaves. It was pretty dark out by this point, and I was pretty sure Quil and I were alone. He was still cradling me as he walked. I didn't move my hands from my face, although I was aware now that this was no dream.

The last thing I was aware of was warmth falling all over my body and whispering Quil's name.

…

I awoke suddenly, too hot, my body sweating.

"I'm sorry, I thought the open window would cool you down some." Quil whispered.

I jumped at his closeness. Where were we? In my room. In my bed. _Why was he in my bed? With me?_

It was still dark out. I looked at the time on my nightstand. Three in the morning. I sat up, fanning myself. Previous events flooded my mind. I had to stay calm, I refuse to go into hysteric mode.

"Quil... Why were you there?"

He sat up, putting his back against the wall.

"I followed you. I knew you wouldn't listen to me about wandering into the forest."

"That boy..."

"Was dangerous."

"He had red eyes." Let's see him squirm his way out of that one.

"Yes." Damn. That was all he was going to give me.

 _No. Tonight I get my answers._

"Those... Wolves..?"

"Were doing their job."

"I had dreams everyday for the last three weeks about that same boy and the brown wolf."

He looked genuinely surprised for a second before he composed himself

"Does that scare you?" Why was he whispering?

"No," no point in lying. "Kind of. Why did you want me to think of those legends, Quil?"

He sighed. "Claire..."

"Please, Quil," I begged "I've been great about not hounding you for years about this and now you want me to think of it and then today, you and my uncle and Paul showed up out of nowhere and-"

I gasped, sudden realization sweeping over me.

 _No, there's no way. That's all fairy tale stuff._

 _BUT he knew those legends scared me when I was younger, he would never want to purposefully scare me unless it was important. The wolves, the cold ones. Spirit warriors._

 _"_ Claire?" His eyes were full of such concern, it made my heart ache.

"A wolf. The brown wolf. You're the brown wolf..."

He surprised me by laughing quietly "You don't seem to scared anymore. I thought you would be terrified and wouldn't want me in your life anymore." He looked sad at that thought.

"Quil, I'll always need you even if you piss me off. But, I had tons of questions-"

"Of course you do, but right now you need sleep."

It was my turn to sigh. It was almost three thirty in the morning and I had school tomorrow. I sighed again at the thought, I probably wouldn't see him again til Friday. A whopping two days away, and I had all these questions...

"Fine." I agreed quietly. He needed to know that I was mature enough not to fight him on the topic, and I was pretty tired.

He looked relieved at my cooperance and laid down with me, wrapping one arm around my tiny body. I buried my face into the crook of his arm and was out within minutes.


	6. Answers

_**A/N I don't own Twilight or anyone from the books. Corbyn and Kirsten are my creations.**_

I walked the halls of school, avoiding everyone. Even Corbyn, which I felt bad about. But if I told her about my recent discoveries of Kirsten, I would be betraying Quil. I promised I would wait until Friday night for our little discussion. He was nervous, no doubt. We went back to our ways of calling each other before going to bed and since I knew a little about the secret, he assured me not to worry because Embry or him would be patrolling and they wouldn't be too far from my house. The thought put me at ease, falling asleep almost once my head hit my pillow.

Since that day, I haven't dreamt about the legends or the boy.

Something was wrong with me. I should be more freaked out than this.

I once thought I should cut Quil out of my life for good, no way was he good for me. That silly thought was too much to bear, the pain hurting me in ways I didn't know I could hurt. I needed him.

Finally Friday was here, I did my usual business at school of avoiding people and getting as much homework done in class as possible. With Graduation only two weeks away, the teachers were a little more lenient with us hanging out with friends. It was a bittersweet moment, I knew I should spend it catching up with old grade school friends but I couldn't bring myself to do it and by the looks of it, neither could Corbyn.

I sighed, picked up my books and moved to the desk next to her. I plopped down, opening my English work book and began working. She at least acknowledged I was there, that gave me a little comfort. But when the final bell rang, she practically ran off, leaving me to feel horrible.

I've let her down.

We needed each other through this mess, and we did a pretty wonderful job of avoiding the whole Kirsten situation. I realized she needed closure as much as I did, and so far I was the one closest to the answers.

As I drove down to La Push, I couldn't help but wonder if maybe Quil shouldn't tell me these things. No way could I keep them from Corbyn, she needed me as much as I needed Quil.

God, I'm such a shitty friend. She deserved better.

I finally made it to the red house, walking in to chatter and Paul making fun of Jared and Kim. I got a few nods and a "Hey Claire-Bear!" I grabbed a blueberry muffin and sat next to Rachel, noticing and feeling that Quil wasn't in the house. I sighed and began munching on my muffin and decided I was probably going to have to wait for my answers.

"Aww, Claire, don't look so glum! He'll be back in an hour," said a practically yelling Paul. Why was he so loud?

"And now that you know just about everything, we don't have to filter anything!" I jumped, where the hell did Brady come from? The boys laughed and went on with their teasing ways, Paul returning to torment Jared, Sam cuddling my aunt Emily in the kitchen. I had to look away from that. It was sweet, but sometimes I thought that me and Quil would love each other that much. There would be no way of that, of course. I was still his little Claire-Bear.

I've missed the family atmosphere of this house, the joking from the boys and the always amazing home cooked meals from my aunt. This house was always filled with laughter and love and with a swift realization, I knew in my heart that I missed Corbyn and Kirsten with such intensity I had to pinch my arm to keep myself from sobbing. Nothing would be more embarrassing than crying my heart out in front of huge, burly boys.

Unfortunately, Rachel noticed my movement. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it. "It'll all get better. Things will fall into place eventually and you'll be happier than you ever thought imagined."

I managed a small smile, and even though she whispered this, I noticed my cousin Seth look at me and nod with his big goofy grin and my Uncle Sam look at me worriedly.

After about ten minutes, the room started to slowly clear out. Paul and Rachel talking about taking care of business which caused some hoots from the boys. Jared, Seth and Brady said something about patrolling thus leaving me and my Aunt Emily in the small living area.

She sat down on the loveseat across from where I was sitting and cleared her throat.

"You've had a rough couple of weeks. I'm sorry,"

I was a taken back by this. Usually she had something wise to say, something to make me look forward to the future. She sensed the surprise and smiled her soft, beautiful smile. Even the scars on her face couldn't mask the beauty she had.

"With your friend Kirsten, then almost being attacked in the woods. Now, I'm sure you're having problems with Corbyn. I know how much those girls mean to you. You love them. They still love you. Just hold on, things will make sense." With that, she walked out, leaving me to my thoughts.

Did my aunt know about Kirsten? So is she really fine? I knew they wouldn't purposely hurt her, Quil would never let them do that. The boy, he said something about her being with the Cullens...

I suddenly felt a pull. I looked up and saw Quil standing, half naked, of course. He looked stressed.

I patted the cushion next to me. He, thankfully, sat down on it. Where did I begin? Maybe the easy questions first...

"So... your freakish body heat, then?"

It worked. He laughed. "Us wolves run a toasty 109 degrees. It comes in handy."

"I'm assuming all wolves have your freakish body mass and height too?"

He laughed and nodded.

"So, of course that means Collin, and my cousin Seth..."

"And Leah."

My head snapped up then. Leah? A werewolf?

He grinned at my reaction. "Yeah, it was surprise to us when she phased, too. She's really fast, but her mind is annoying," he looked as if he said something he didn't want to.

"Her mind is annoying? How..."

He sighed. "When we phase, we can hear each others minds. It comes in handy for battle, other than that it's pretty annoying and embarrassing. Everything you think of, the rest of the pack can see. Most people dream they can read minds, at first it was cool, but most of the time it's disgusting. We have to work hard to keep our minds in check." He finished his thought by grimacing.

"Oh..." I couldn't help but feel bad for him, but then I remembered that boy. I sat up on the couch and crossed my legs, putting my hands in my lap. "What about that boy in the woods near my house? He mention something about Kirsten."

"That _leech_ ," he sneered, making me flinch. He noticed and looked at me apologetically "was a vampire."

We started at each other. I was debating on whether or not I should bust out laughing but his expression was telling me otherwise. He was watching me carefully, making sure he wasn't giving me too much information to where I'll be scarred for the rest of my life. Shit, he was being serious.

 _Of course he is being serious! The legends, the cold ones. Those were vampires. Of course they exist, just like Quil can burst into a werewolf._

"So... what does that have to do with Kirsten?"

He sighed again, running his fingers through his hair. He looked pained. The urge to comfort him was strong, I wanted him to know I cared.

"Claire, this is difficult," he began.

"She's not dead." No way was she dead. He look startled.

"No, she's not dead. I mean, she is, but you can see her. I mean-"

"What the hell Quil! Spit it out! You tell me you and everyone I've grown up with is a werewolf and vampires exist and now what you're describing is... a ghost? Do ghosts exist to?" I felt myself going on the verge of hysterics, he knew this too. He pulled me into a hug and rocked me slightly.

"She's a vampire, Claire. That boy got to her before we could. We tried doing what we could to help but it was too late,"

Sobs shook my body as flashbacks of the sinister red eyes clouded my brain. He held me tighter and continued.

"The Cullens are a coven of vampires that live in Forks. They're the good guys, we've helped them and they have helped us. We have sort of... a truce. They're vegetarians. They don't kill people, they only hunt animals. Kirsten is safe with them. Carlisle and everyone there will help her so she doesn't turn into a monster and hopefully in a few years, you can see her and talk to her. But right now, it's too dangerous. She understands this, too, and wouldn't want to put you and Corbyn in any danger. So for now, she's staying far away from people until she gets under control."

I tried to stop crying knowing that Kirsten was ok, but seeing her next to that boy terrified me. I was crying so hard I began to give myself a headache. Why can't I control my tear ducts? How isn't my body rid of all the water from all the crying I've done?

I eventually blacked out in Quil's warm arms, my head pounding.


	7. Graduation and Feelings

_**A/N: I do not own Twilight. Kirsten and Corbyn are my creations.**_

It was finally the day.

Graduation.

I sat up in the first seat, first row. I was Valedictorian. I watched as the kids I grew up with grabbed their diplomas and shaked hands with some teachers. I could feel Quil somewhere in the small gym, somewhere in the back behind me. Probably sitting next to my mother.

Finally, my name was called. Shouts were heard all over the gym. I sighed as I stood up and walked over to receive my diploma. Of course the whole wolf pack was here.

Finally, the ceremony was over. It lasted a total of two hours thanks to Principal Green cracking jokes every now and then.

I didn't need to find Quil, I just felt the pull. I half walked, half ran to meet him, my gold medal banging against my chest.

I saw him walking towards me, a big goofy grin spread across his face. We reached each other and he picked me up in a gigantic bear hug.

"Quil," I gasped "Can't... breathe!"

He laughed and put me down, steadying me as I swayed.

Soon it felt like everyone was crowded around me. My aunt Emily and mother hugging and crying, while the boys patted my back and congratulated me. Thank goodness Quil saw my uneasiness and muttered something about wanting to take me out to lunch. Everyone soon agreed, saying they had other things to attend to. I smiled at Quil, silently thanking him.

He drove us to a little diner in Forks, holding my hand the whole way there, his grin never faltering.

We ordered and then a silence overtook us. He was staring at me intently and sighed.

"What?"

"Did you have to wear that dress?"

I looked down, slightly offended. I wore my black dress that stopped mid thigh, my sleeves and back made of lace. Just enough cleavage showed, but I couldn't really help that.

I flipped my curls impatiently behind my back and huffed "I thought it looked nice."

He startled me a bit by laughing. "You do look nice! I just don't want guys having thoughts about you..." He flinched.

I sighed. "Quil, that's their business. What are the chances they'll actually make a move on me? Especially with you around. You're pretty scary." I giggled at the thought. Unfortunately, he was staring at me with such an intensity I had to look away. My heart sped up and I'm sure he could hear it. That thought made my face heat up. Why does he have this affect on me?

"Claire... there's still something I need to tell you." I looked up just as the food was being placed in front of us. The waitress turned to Quil "Would you like anything else?"

Was there a double meaning behind that?

"No, thank you."

She walked behind the swinging doors leading into the kitchen.  
Quil began eating his burger while I nibbled on fries. Was he going to tell me now? Or wait til I got home? Was it about Kirsten? I couldn't take it anymore. I thought we agreed to be open with each other now?

I leaned forward, cleavage and all it's glory showing, hands under my chin. Quil's eyes wandered and stayed at my chest, exactly what I wanted.

"What is it?" My voice was near seductive, nothing I had to use before. Hopefully I wasn't making myself look like an ass.

"Ummm," His mouth full of burger. I smiled. God, he was so attractive. His brown eyes looked into mine which sent involuntary shivers down my spine. "It's... a little complicated."

"More complicated than turning into a wolf and my best friend being a vampire?"

"Slightly. We can't help it."

I waited for him to continue, instead he finished off his plate and shake and tried very hard not to look at my cleavage. He slipped a few times, enough to make me blush and wonder what he was thinking.

Not soon after we finished, he paid and we were on our way to the beach. He held my hand again, he didn't let go until we got out of his truck. He picked my hand up again and lead me to the smaller cliff. We didn't talk, but it was a comfortable silence. He would tell me this other secret today, I could feel he would. I could also sense he was nervous. Maybe even scared.

We sat on the edge, my feet dangling. I lifted my face towards the sun and let the wind play with my hair. It was an unusually beautiful day today. There were shrieks and yelling below us as people played in the water. I was thankful that Quil and I were alone.

He cleared his throat, making me look at him questioningly. That led to him sighing.

"Please, Quil. I whispered.

He ran his fingers through his hair before muttering "Imprinting."

"Excuse me?" I didn't understand.

He sighed again. "Your aunt and uncle. Rachel and Paul. Jake and Renesmee. Jared and Kim. You've seen how they act around eachother."

"Um... They all are in love. I'm not sure... is that was this imprinting thing is?"

"Yes! Exactly," the look of relief written all over his face "Wolves have this thing where they can find their soul mate. We all got lucky, except a few of us. It was supposed to be a rare thing, were seeing that it really isn't."

"Ok. So, what? You imprinted?"

His big smile made my heart speed up.

"Yeah, I've had an imprint for a few years now."

He was staring at me intently, his lips forming a small smile. I tried to hold back the tears. A few years? How come he never told me he was in love with someone? He never really mentioned a lot of people besides the pack. I knew we would never have what Sam and Emily had.

He sensed the distress and his lovely smile faded, replaced by a frown.

"Claire? What is it?"

"How come you never mentioned her?" God, why was I whispering? Oh yeah, because the tears would come if my voice got any louder. He seemed confused by my question.

"Claire-Bear," I flinched. He sighed and tried again. "Claire, you are so smart. You can piece this out."

What the fuck? Another thing for me to figure out. I groaned in anger.

"Seriously Quil? Just tell me. I'm done trying to figure this out. It makes my head hurt," I knew I was whining and sounding like a 5 year old, but if you spent the last few months trying to figure out these things all while crying yourself a headache, you would be angry too. This made him sigh again, running his fingers through his hair. If he kept doing that, he'll be bald before he's thirty. I giggled at the thought.

"Claire, why else would I hang around you so much?"

I gaped at him, my mouth forming an "O". I finally realized that I was his imprint.

 _I, Claire Young, am Quil Ateara's soul mate!_

I looked down over the beach, letting my embarrassment flood my face. I hated it when he made me flush like this. Nobody else could ever make me do that.

"Oh... So... How long have I been your.. Umm... Imprint?" I sounded like such an ass.

"That's where it gets tricky. When the rest of the pack met their imprints, except Jake, they all were legal adults. Jake met Nessie when she was born and BOOM, it all made sense to him. He made fun of me for so long and then he understood." He chuckled at the memory.

I was a taken back. Jake was about Quils age, Renesmee looked to be my age but she was born a few years after I was.

"You... imprinted on me when I was a child?"

He head snapped in my direction, a worry line crossing his forehead. "Claire, you have to know I never wanted to hurt you. Like I said, we can't help it. What feelings I had for you, they were big brother feelings. Eventually as you got older, they turned into best friend feelings. But right now, I feel nothing but love for you. Grown up love," he laughed and looked me in the eye seriously, "But you always have a choice. If you didn't want to be with me, I would understand. We can stay best friends if you want."

My heart hurt. I wanted nothing more than to be with Quil. Listening to him say this, I felt like I was dreaming.

"Quil..." I sighed, how else could I say this? My cheeks burned, making him look at me curiously.

"I love you. I really, truly do," I laughed a bit, feeling more comfortable with him then ever. "I remember watching Emily and Sam kiss each other and I thought we could be like that, but I always got rid of those thoughts because you were so much older than I am and.. I thought you didn't like me that way." I laughed. This was all so silly.

He look relieved and hugged me close, kissing my forehead. "I've always loved you Claire, just in different ways."

Life can't get better than this.


	8. Trouble in La Psuh

_**A/U Note: So sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been sick, working, and having horrible writers block.**_

 _ **I don't own anything except Corbyn and Kirsten**_

Everything was amazing. Quil was now my real boyfriend of only two weeks. We haven't shared a kiss yet, patience was trivial now.

My aunt Emily of course told my mother of the news and she seemed to approve. At least, I think so. She never stopped me and droned on with a lecture, so I take that as a good sign.

I decided to take online courses for my basics class. I only had to visit Seattle once a month to take a test and learn a little about tools.

Sue Clearwater has always inspired me when I was little. Being such a strong and beautiful woman with two kids and working full time as a nurse, that's what made me go into the medical field. When I told my aunt this, she naturally smiled and kissed my hand, telling me how wonderful I am and how I was going to change the world.

So here I was, sitting in my aunts warm, little kitchen when we heard it. It was faint at first, maybe a joke of sorts, but then more howls rang around the forest.

I sat up just to be knocked down.

I looked up quizzically at my aunt, no way she pushed me back into my seat?

"We have to stay put. Focus on your studies and I'll focus on making our lunch. The boys will handle this and I'm sure the girls will be over soon after work."

I studied my aunt's features for the millionth time, looking to find something else I haven't seen before. She didn't fool me. Even after years and years of dealing with this she still worried. I sighed and tried to focus on my math packet. Key word: Tried.

I got through four questions when Rachel busted through the door. "Any news? Did Sam or Paul stop by to give us a report?"

"Here, Rachel, have a muffin," my aunt said cooly, handing her a blueberry muffin and guiding her to a seat next to me. "No news yet, I'm sure someone will stop by soon." She sighed and nibbled on her muffin, worry etched all over her beautiful face.

We all sat together in silence, me, working on boring math, Rachel eating and my aunt fiddling with her phone.

An hour and a half passed before Kim came in, looking tired and sad. "Claire..."

A large lump formed in my throat. Oh god...

"What happened, Kim!" Rachel stood up and sped walked over to Kim, leading her to sit on the couch.

"Jake caught up to me, told me we have to stay together for a night. There are four vampires who are a bit tricky. One got Quil, shattered his ribs. He's with Billy right now, he'll be ok in a few days. It's just safer for him to be away from us right now."

Quil, my Quil, hurt.

Hurt.

Ribs shattered.

I couldn't control the gasp that escaped my mouth and the sob that followed soon after.

How could they women handle this? Living everyday wondering if the boys will come home? Granted, I did it my whole life, but I never knew the secret.

In a moments notice my aunt hugged me, squeezing my shoulders and brought me to sit with the rest of the girls.

 _He'll be ok. Super werewolf healing. He'll be better in a few days. A few days. Away from me._

The tears weren't coming, just heavy breath after heavy breath. If I broke down, god only knows if Kim and Rachel would. We needed to stay strong for my aunt, we couldn't have her mothering us when her husband was out there, too. I laid my head in her lap and closed my eyes, trying to regain some sense and my proper breathing.

It's weird, when you first fall asleep. You don't realize it. And then you dream, and the dreams seems so real.

In my dream, I was going fast. Too fast. It was cold and my shorts and shirt were wet.

 _Why are my clothes wet?_

I opened my eye, lifting my head off the damp grass.

 _What the hell was I doing out here?_

It was dark and cold, the wind sending shivers down my spine and making goosebumps rise on my arms and legs.

I looked around, I immediately recognized where I was. Near the larger cliff, I was facing the woods.

I couldn't have sleep walked? Emily would have-

 _Emily!_

"Emily!?" I called out. A twig snapped in the distance.

I slowly got up, shivering, rubbing my arms.

"Em?" I called again.

"Claire Young. Finally."

A beautiful girl with long dark brown hair was in front of me in an instant.

Her eyes blood red.

I couldn't help the scream that came after.


End file.
